Bush sent military strikes against Somalia five times, yet it didn't fix anything...

[lunatica]

And frankly I'm glad the Obama Administration isn't just having a kneejerk reaction to bomb Somalia. This situation requires a lot of informed nuance, not just with Somalia but with the rest of the world. It's not easy and shouldn't be treated like it can be easily dealt with by using our military violence. There's no question that our military is huge and powerful. Let's try to use some intelligence in the use of that power.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/10/AR2009041003734.html

Obama Team Mulls Aims Of Somali Extremists
Seeing Potential Terror Threat, Officials Debate Their Options

Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab organization dictates a more patient, nonmilitary approach.

Al-Shabab, whose fighters have battled Ethiopian occupiers and the tenuous Somali government, poses a dilemma for the administration, according to several senior national security officials who outlined the debate only on the condition of anonymity.

The organization's rapid expansion, ties between its leaders and al-Qaeda, and the presence of Americans and Europeans in its camps have raised the question of whether a preemptive strike is warranted. Yet the group's objectives have thus far been domestic, and officials say that U.S. intelligence has no evidence it is planning attacks outside Somalia.

An attack against al-Shabab camps in southern Somalia would mark the administration's first military strike outside the Iraq and Afghanistan-Pakistan war zones. The White House discussions highlight the challenges facing the Obama team as it attempts to distance itself from the Bush administration, which conducted at least five military strikes in Somalia. The new administration is still defining its rationale for undertaking sensitive operations in countries where the United States is not at war.

more at the link above...